Notable TV shows that ended in 2024

Over a dozen shows that debuted in 2024 were also canceled this year. Many of them made zero cultural impact and won’t really be forgotten. “The Acolyte,” though, was a prestige TV swing from the “Star Wars” folks. Perhaps, as with the new films, Disney overextended on the “Star Wars” front, because “The Acolyte” got axed after only one season.

It turns out “That ‘90s Show” proved to be more like “That ‘80s Show” than “That ‘70s Show.” The difference between this show and the ‘80s variant is that this was a direct spinoff of “That ‘70s Show” focused on the daughter of Eric and Donna. Netflix did give the show a second season in 2024, and even allowed it to be 16 episodes after an eight-episode first season. However, that would prove to be the end as the show got canceled clearly before the show was wrapping up.

Maybe it was the title? “So Help Me Todd” gives off real “Better Off Ted” vibes, though this CBS dramedy about a private investigator working for his mom’s law firm is less cultish. The show was doing well and had enough fans to merit online petitions after it was canceled. CBS knows where its bread is buttered, though, and cleared space on Thursday night for “Matlock” with Kathy Bates, which seems to have paid off commercially.

“Halo” caught a tough beat. It began filming in October 2019 when hype was high, but thanks to COVID-19 and other elements the first season did not land until 2022. That first season was received in lukewarm fashion. A second season dropped in 2024 and was much better received by those still watching. The problem was that the expensive show was not part of the zeitgeist at all which led to cancellation.

Hey, here’s something more positive: a show ending of its own volition. This is a Greg Berlanti CW show set in the DC Comics universe, so you know it got to stick around as long as Berlanti felt like it. Plus, Superman isn’t a hard sell. Though the show ended up outside the CW Arrowverse, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman got four seasons and 53 episodes worth of story.

Nostalgia can only take you so far. The clunkily-titled “CSI: Vegas” is a reboot of the original “CSI” from before the city subtitles debuted. Maybe the issue is that William Petersen and Sorja Fox, two OGs from the first version, left after season one. Ultimately “Vegas” only lasted three seasons before getting the boot.

Maybe Chucky works best in film form? “Child’s Play” birthed a horror-comedy franchise that liked to throw all sorts of stuff at the wall, and the TV show tried to build off of that. The problem may be coming up with season’s worth of stories. Or the fact that basic cable can’t bring the same pulpy elements of R-rated movies. “Chucky” was canceled after three seasons.

Yes, another “Star Wars” show, but this story is more positive. “Chucky” and “The Bad Batch” actually debuted the same day, May 1, 2021. Both also lasted three seasons. The difference is that “The Bad Batch” was a full and complete story. “Star Wars” animation impresario Dave Filoni was the one behind the show, and he is almost untouchable in terms of his productions.

Look, we won’t pretend we ever saw “La Brea,” but we definitely remember the promotional ads. A sinkhole in Los Angeles brought modern people into dinosaur times! Or did it bring dinosaurs into modern times? We don’t know. We just know that every time we saw an ad we thought, “That show is still on?” That is no longer true, as the show concluded with a third season that allowed “La Brea” to complete its story.

“Star Trek” cleared the cache in 2024, with multiple shows coming to a conclusion. “Lower Decks” is the notable one for us, though. It’s unique within the world of “Star Trek.” Not because it is animated, but because it’s an adult-aimed, raunchy “Star Trek” cartoon. That’s pretty cool, and it got to run for 48 episodes as well.

“Snowpiercer” ending in 2024 is the most-improbable event on this list. Based on the Bong Joon-ho movie, “Snowpiercer” debuted on TNT in 2020 after years in development hell. In 2022, it was announced that the fourth season of the show would be its last. Then, in January 2023, TNT said “Psych!” and announced it wasn’t going to bother airing a completed season of television. We figured that was the end, but in March of 2024 AMC announced it had picked up the rights to air the fourth season of “Snowpiercer” allowing the show to end.

FX is not the network powerhouse it used to be (though what basic cable network is), but it had “What We Do in the Shadows” going. Based on a delightful mockumentary movie from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, the show focused on atypical vampires. It’s almost like “Nosferatu” meets “Modern Family.” The show was a critical darling and was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series three times by the Emmys (and could still get a fourth nomination for its final season). “What We Do in the Shadows” got six seasons, and wisely ended before going stale (*cough* “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” *cough*).

It’s nice when a show just decides to get weird with it. “Evil” debuted on CBS as a somewhat-generic supernatural procedural. After one season, though, the show moved to Paramount+, and then it decided to just let loose. “Evil” became bananas, campy, and even a bit meta. It got to morph into a cult show that would have been hard to do on CBS. After four seasons “Evil” was allowed to pull the train into the station.

The show that saved Paramount Network. Hell, it may have saved basic cable. “Yellowstone” proved a true phenomenon. It made Taylor Sheridan the king of Paramount+. Truly, “Yellowstone” ending will reshape the TV landscape. That’s not something we envisioned when it debuted in 2018.

A spinoff of “Black-ish,” this show is basically that universe’s “A Different World.” It aired on Freeform, a network aimed at young adults. Notably, “Grown-ish” did a major pivot during its run. The first four seasons focused on Zoey Johnson, but the last two instead focused on Andre Jr., Zoey’s younger brother. Hey, college doesn’t go on forever.

Some made fun of “The Good Doctor” as a title, and it has been heavily-memed in ways that are not kind to the show. And yet, clearly it had fans. Quite a few of them. Freddie Highmore played Dr. Shaun Murphy for seven seasons and 126 episodes. To last that long on network television these days is not easy. ABC is assuredly happy with how “The Good Doctor” turned out.

Speaking of titles people made fun of, but also shows that succeeded anyway. “What if Sheldon was young?” was low-hanging fruit for derisive humor, and also for a TV show. Of course, “The Big Bang Theory” was the last of the mega-successful multi-cam sitcoms, so why wouldn’t CBS give it a shot? “Young Sheldon” had the same length of run as “The Good Doctor,” debuting in 2017 and lasting seven seasons. It also got a spinoff in “George and Mandy’s First Wedding.” Yes, a spinoff of a spinoff.

We end with a few shows that really had some legs. “The Talk” may have been CBS’ take on “The View,” but it had a robust run of its own. Certainly in terms of that format, “The Talk” takes the silver medal in terms of success. While the “ladies (and eventually dudes) chatting” daytime talk show had a lot of panelists popping in and out, “The Talk” debuted in 2010 and lasted for over a decade. As a daytime talk show, that also means it generated thousands of episodes.

No, Tom Selleck’s “Blue Bloods” was never cool. It was no “Magnum P.I.” This procedural is exactly the kind of CBS show that people poke fun at. The kind of show that has been running forever but you don’t know anybody who has seen even a second of it. However, clearly people were watching. “Blue Bloods” debuted in 2010 and ran for 14 seasons and also 300 episodes.

Now, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” did only air when Larry David felt like it. The show debuted in 2000 and didn’t end until 2024, but in that time David only produced 12 seasons and 120 episodes. Of course, those 120 episodes are cherished. People adore “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Larry David is a cultural icon thanks to the show. It’s one of the defining comedies of the new millennium. It’s certainly the most-impactful show to end in 2024. We guess you could say that, all in all, it was prett-ay, prett-ay, prett-ay good.